PC fidelity

[bartlett23]

I have a half decent CD based separates system and find the sound quality is way better than mp3s played on itunes through the same amp.

Anyone got any quick and easy tips on improving sound quality of these mp3s as most of my music is on itunes?

Cheers,

Steve

 

[Dave_]

add a dac if you dont have one and have digital outputs on your pc, or re-rip your music into apple lossless

 

[bartlett23]

Brilliant, cheers Dave.

A lot of that stuff I don't really need (amps, speakers etc) so what are the basics for connecting my PC to my Denon amp?

Cheers,

Steve

 

[John Duncan]

Well this kind of presumes that a) you've reripped all your music to apple lossless in iTunes (or at least 320k, if you have space issues) and b) your Denon amp is a stereo one as opposed to an AV one.

The easiest way to get music to your hifi is a 3.5mm jack to 2 x phono cable (which is probably what you're doing already). However, the audio output on your PC is probably quite poor (lots of interference for starters), so I would recommend isolating that noise by using an Airport Express, which basically streams music from iTunes to your stereo wirelessly. It uses the same 3.5mm jack to 2 x phono connection. Alternatively you could get a better soundcard, either internally on a PCI slot or externally via USB.

The beauty of the AE is that it also has a digital output, which you can use to improve quality by adding an outboard digital to audio convertor (DAC). (I'm finally plugging my AE into a new DAC tonight

)

So three steps to take, not necessarily all at once:

1) rip to lossless
2) isolate your audio output from your noisy PC (airport express or external soundcard)
3) add a better quality DAC

Does that make sense?

 

[Dave_]

bartlett23:

A lot of that stuff I don't really need (amps, speakers etc)
hmmm... i'm confused now! i didn't mention speakers/ amp's etc.

but as jd say's above basically

 

[chebby]

bartlett23:Anyone got any quick and easy tips on improving sound quality of these mp3s as most of my music is on itunes?

Yep. This....

http://www.computeraudiophile.com/node/498

You said you wanted 'quick and easy' and I give you cheap as well! (Well about £120) Yes it is easy. Just plug one end in the hifi and the other end into the computer and switch on. That's it. No software to load, completely bypasses any crappy built in sound card until you switch it off then the PC/laptop defaults back to it's own built in card again.

Sounds superb. I have played Apple Lossless rips, normal AAC iTunes downloads and iTunes+ downloads, YouTube and numerous internet radio stations etc. through it and been very suprised at the quality of even fairly humble stuff. Easy, cheap and fun and even comes with some pretty good USB and phono cables provided.

 

[bartlett23]

daveh75:bartlett23:

A lot of that stuff I don't really need (amps, speakers etc)
hmmm... i'm confused now! i didn't mention speakers/ amp's etc.

but as jd say's above basically

sorry dave, new to these forums and didn't realise that list of equipment at the end of your message was your own stuff, thought it was stuff you were recommending i buy!

cheers

 

[bartlett23]

JohnDuncan:Well this kind of presumes that a) you've reripped all your music to apple lossless in iTunes (or at least 320k, if you have space issues) and b) your Denon amp is a stereo one as opposed to an AV one.

The easiest way to get music to your hifi is a 3.5mm jack to 2 x phono cable (which is probably what you're doing already). However, the audio output on your PC is probably quite poor (lots of interference for starters), so I would recommend isolating that noise by using an Airport Express, which basically streams music from iTunes to your stereo wirelessly. It uses the same 3.5mm jack to 2 x phono connection. Alternatively you could get a better soundcard, either internally on a PCI slot or externally via USB.

The beauty of the AE is that it also has a digital output, which you can use to improve quality by adding an outboard digital to audio convertor (DAC). (I'm finally plugging my AE into a new DAC tonight

)

So three steps to take, not necessarily all at once:

1) rip to lossless
2) isolate your audio output from your noisy PC (airport express or external soundcard)
3) add a better quality DAC

Does that make sense?

at the moment i'm just running a crappy phono lead from the headphone jack into the back of the amp. i haven't even ripped to lossless. is this something that you do when importing CDs onto itunes or can you convert stuff that's been bought off itunes or knicked off someone else?

and regarding the airport express, does this plug into the DAC, which in turn goes into the back of the amp? i'm presuming the wireless modem built into the laptop transmits music to the AE?

pretty new to all this to all this you see so please excuse the dumb questions.

cheers

 

[John Duncan]

Yes, ripping to lossless is done at time of import. Edit/Preferences/Advanced - on the Importing tab, change "Import Using" to "Apple Lossless Encoder". You could also use WAV for broader compatibility but if you're only using iTunes then there's no point, and you'll save a lot of space.

Yes, the wireless card in your laptop transmits to the AE - either directly or by joining your existing wireless network. The headphone socket has both audio and optical, so you can either just plug your existing 3.5-RCA lead into it, then into the back of the amp, or you can improve sound later by adding a DAC. Some people have had issues with setting it up, but I haven't had any problems, and it improves the sound quality if the sound card on your PC or latop isn't up to snuff (mine was very noisy).

I can't stress enough that the difference between low-bitrate music and lossless is striking, and is a must if you want to get the best sound further down the line.

 

[bartlett23]

JohnDuncan:Yes, the wireless card in your laptop transmits to the AE - either directly or by joining your existing wireless network. The headphone socket has both audio and optical, so you can either just plug your existing 3.5-RCA lead into it, then into the back of the amp, or you can improve sound later by adding a DAC. Some people have had issues with setting it up, but I haven't had any problems, and it improves the sound quality if the sound card on your PC or latop isn't up to snuff (mine was very noisy).

I can't stress enough that the difference between low-bitrate music and lossless is striking, and is a must if you want to get the best sound further down the line.

in the short term i guess i can just go with the DAC? not sure if i
need an airport express at the moment as my laptop sits next to my
hi-fi. does the DAC plug straight into the headphone socket or into a
USB port? and are there any worthwhile cable upgrades for connecting
the two?

cheers

 

[John Duncan]

In which case yes, airport express is pretty pointless from an 'untethering' point of view, but can be useful to get the audio signal away from the noisy laptop power supply.

As fr the DAC, it depends - depending on the model you choose it could do either, depending on whether your laptop has an optical out in the headphones socket (many do) - if not, USB's your best bet. Not all DACs have USB though, so make an informed choice.

I say again - rip to lossless first, you may find that will give you the quality you're looking for without resorting to spending any money.

 

[Gerrardasnails]

bartlett23:
JohnDuncan:Yes, the wireless card in your laptop transmits to the AE - either directly or by joining your existing wireless network. The headphone socket has both audio and optical, so you can either just plug your existing 3.5-RCA lead into it, then into the back of the amp, or you can improve sound later by adding a DAC. Some people have had issues with setting it up, but I haven't had any problems, and it improves the sound quality if the sound card on your PC or latop isn't up to snuff (mine was very noisy).

I can't stress enough that the difference between low-bitrate music and lossless is striking, and is a must if you want to get the best sound further down the line.

in the short term i guess i can just go with the DAC? not sure if i
need an airport express at the moment as my laptop sits next to my
hi-fi. does the DAC plug straight into the headphone socket or into a
USB port? and are there any worthwhile cable upgrades for connecting
the two?

cheers

It has to be a digital connection so coaxial, optical or usb. Different DACs have different connectivity. The DacMagic mentioned earlier has all three connections. So laptop to DacMagic using usb or digital audio cable and then RCA from DM to amp. Job done and you will be amazed by the improvement. What amp and speakers do you have?

 

[bartlett23]

Denon PMA-250SE and Wharfedale Diamond 9.1

 

[Gerrardasnails]

bartlett23:
Denon PMA-250SE and Wharfedale Diamond 9.1

By buying the DacMagic you would have a lot of upgrade growth for your amp and speakers and hear a real improvement immediately.